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Aipysurus foliosquama SMITH, 1926

IUCN Red List - Aipysurus foliosquama - Critically Endangered, CR
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Higher TaxaElapidae (Hydrophiinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Leaf-scaled Seasnake 
SynonymAipysurus foliosquama SMITH 1926: 22
Aipysurus foliosquama — COGGER 1983: 243
Aipysurus foliosquama — COGGER 2000: 702
Smithsohydrophis foliosquama
Aipysurus foliosquama — WILSON & SWAN 2010
Aipysurus foliosquama — WALLACH et al. 2014: 22 
DistributionTimor Sea; Australia (Western Australia (Ashmore, Hibernia and Scott Reefs))

Type locality: Ashmore Reefs, Australia  
Reproductionovovivparous 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1946.1.1.96, from Ashmore Reefs, Australia. 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (2274 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentVenomous!

Habitat: marine.

Conservation status: critically endangered

Distribution: see map in Sanders et al. 2015 (Fig. 1). Common around Ashmore Reef (Guinea & Whiting 2005).

Abundance: Rare. This is one of the species called 'lost' and 'rediscovered' by Lindken et al. 2024. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin folium (leaf) plus squama (scale), referring to the leaf-shaped body scales. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) 
References
  • Cogger, H. G. 1975. The sea snakes of Australia and New Guinea. pp. 59-139 in Dunson, W. (ed. ) The Biology of Sea Snakes. Baltimore: University Park Press
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Guinea, M.L. and Whiting, S.D. 2005. Insights into the distribution and abundance of sea snakes at Ashmore Reef. The Beagle Supplement 1
  • Kharin, V. E. 1981. A review of sea snakes of the genus Aipysurus (Serpentes, Hydrophiidae). Zoological Zhurnal 60 (2): 257-264
  • Kharin, V.E.; Cheblyukov, V.P. 2006. On a new record of a poorly known and rare sea snake Aipysurus tenuis Lönnberg et Andersson, 1913 (Serpentes: Hydrophiidae) in the waters of Australia. Russian Journal of Marine Biology 32 (3): 194-197. - get paper here
  • Lindken T.; Anderson, C. V., Ariano-Sánchez, D., Barki, G., Biggs, C., Bowles, P., Chaitanya, R., Cronin, D. T., Jähnig, S. C., Jeschke, J. M., Kennerley, R. J., Lacher, T. E. Jr., Luedtke, J. A., Liu, C., Long, B., Mallon, D., Martin, G. M., Meiri, 2024. What factors influence the rediscovery of lost tetrapod species? Global Change Biology, 30: 1-18 - get paper here
  • RASMUSSEN, ARNE REDSTED; KATE LAURA SANDERS, MICHAEL L. GUINEA & ANDREW P. AMEY 2014. Sea snakes in Australian waters (Serpentes: subfamilies Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae)—a review with an updated identification key. Zootaxa 3869 (4): 351–371 - get paper here
  • Sanders KL, Schroeder T, Guinea ML, Rasmussen AR 2015. Molecules and Morphology Reveal Overlooked Populations of Two Presumed Extinct Australian Sea Snakes (Aipysurus: Hydrophiinae). PLoS One 10 (2): e0115679. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0115679 - get paper here
  • Shine R, Shine TG, Brown GP, Udyawer V. 2023. Sexual dimorphism in aipysurine sea snakes (Elapidae, Hydrophiinae). R. Soc. Open Sci. 10: 231261 - get paper here
  • Shine, Richard; Claire Goiran, Catherine Shilton, Shai Meiri, Gregory P Brown 2019. The life aquatic: an association between habitat type and skin thickness in snakes. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, blz136 - get paper here
  • Smith, M. A. 1926. Monograph on the Sea Snakes. (Hydrophiidae). London: British Museum, xvii + 130 pp.
  • Udyawer, V., Oxenham, K., Hourston, M., & Heupel, M. 2021. Distribution, fisheries interactions and assessment of threats to Australia’s sea snakes. Report to the National Environmental Science Program, Marine Biodiversity Hub. - get paper here
  • Udyawer, Vinay; Ruchira Somaweera, Charlotte Nitschke, Blanche d’Anastasi, Kate Sanders, Bruce L. Webber, Mathew Hourston, Michelle R. Heupel 2020. Prioritising search effort to locate previously unknown populations of endangered marine reptiles. Glob. Ecol. Conserv. 22: e01013 - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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